Awards | School of Rehabilitation Therapy

Distinguished Alumni Awards

The School of Rehabilitation Therapy Distinguished Alumni Awards were established in 2013, thanks to the generous support of faculty member and Queen’s alumna, Diana Hopkins-Rosseel, MSc (Rehabilitation Science) ’92, and her husband, John Rosseel, BA (Artsci) ’81. The Awards recognize one graduate annually from each of the Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Science, and Aging and Health programs who has made exceptional contributions to their chosen profession, field and/or community. Recipients are presented with their awards at the School's annual Homecoming Event.

Award Criteria & Submit a Nomination

The award will be presented on the basis of the graduate's exceptional contributions to their chosen profession/field and/or their community. Recipients will be recognized for their contributions in one or more of the following areas:

Distinguished themselves, at home or abroad, and made a difference to the well-being of others
Provided leadership and/or advocacy within their chosen profession
Demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the education of rehabilitation students and/or graduates
Advanced rehabilitation research and/or best practice
Continued involvement with Queen's and/or the Queen's community

Submit your nomination by completing this survey by May 31

For more information on the Distinguished Alumni Award or the nomination process, please contact:

Tim Rosillo (trosillo@queensu.ca)

Recent Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

2026 Occupational Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Holly Mo, MSc (OT)’04

Holly Mo graduated from Queen’s OT in 2004, and started her career by volunteering in Tianjin, China to provide OT services to orphans and adults with various disabilities. By teaching life and job skills to those adults, they were able to earn a small living. Returning to Canada, she worked for several years at UHN Toronto Rehab, including the Lyndhurst Centre for spinal cord injuries (SCI). This shaped her passion as an OT to work with individuals who had been affected by severe trauma, helping them find a way back to meaning and purpose.

Holly joined FunctionAbility Rehabilitation Services in 2008, then a very small group of OTs providing services to people with SCI and acquired brain injuries. Holly explains that she found her home at FunctionAbility, and in her 18+ years with the company, has provided OT and Case Management to hundreds of clients in their homes and communities. She has also spoken at trauma conferences, and lectured and facilitated labs at the University of Toronto. She has mentored students and staff, and developed valuable decades-long relationships with many interdisciplinary team members in the rehab community across Canada.

Holly is currently the Clinical Director of Innovation & Program Development, responsible for overseeing the quality of clinical services provided by 300+ staff, assisting with business development and strategic planning, and spearheading quality assurance initiatives such as Accreditation and the Client Advisory Committee.

2026 Physical Therapy Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Dr. Euson Yeung, BSc (PT)’96

Euson Yeung is a physiotherapist, educator, and academic leader whose work has shaped how physiotherapists learn, reason, and grow as professionals. A graduate of Queen's University's School of Rehabilitation Therapy (BScPT '96), he is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto and Program Lead of the Education Scholars Program at the Centre for Faculty Development.

Over the past three decades, Euson has made significant contributions to physiotherapy education nationally and internationally through curriculum innovation, faculty development, mentorship, and scholarship. His work has advanced approaches to clinical reasoning, assessment, competency-based education, and lifelong learning, helping to shape the preparation and ongoing development of clinicians, educators, and emerging leaders in the profession.

A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Manipulative Physiotherapists, Euson has served in leadership and advisory roles with the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (Orthopaedic Division) and the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists. His contributions have been recognized through honours including the Carol Kennedy Teaching Excellence Award and the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Mentorship Award.

Through his leadership, scholarship, and commitment to mentorship, Euson has helped shape the future of physiotherapy education and inspired generations of clinicians, educators, and learners.

2026 Rehabilitation Science Distinguished Alumni Award Winner
Molalign Belay Adugna, PhD (RHBS)’22

Dr. Molalign Belay Adugna (Molo) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology and Co-Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia, with more than a decade of experience in teaching, research, university leadership, and community development.

A proud alumnus of Queen’s University, Molo holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science, where his doctoral research focused on disability inclusion and stigma reduction among children with disabilities and their caregivers in Ethiopia. His work advances inclusive education, community-based rehabilitation, disability rights, and equitable participation for marginalized communities.

Molo collaborates with policymakers, practitioners, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), youth associations, and communities to promote disability awareness and inclusion. His work has been presented internationally, including at the 2024 ECOSOC Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, Mastercard Foundation convenings, and other global platforms. He has also supported communities affected by conflict in Ethiopia. Beyond academia, Molo contributes to community development and social inclusion initiatives as a trainer, guest speaker, mentor, and trustee with OPDs and youth associations.

He is a recipient of the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, and the Stigma Research Training Institute at the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Drawing on his roots in rural Ethiopia, Molo is committed to empowering children, youth with disabilities, and other marginalized populations while advancing more inclusive, accessible, and equitable societies in Ethiopia and beyond.

Previous Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

View past recipients

Occupational & Physical Therapy Clinical Education Awards

The Clinical Education Awards in Occupational and Physical Therapy were established to recognize excellence in teaching by clinical preceptors who are affiliated with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen's University.

The Awards are granted on the basis of demonstrated excellence in clinical teaching, to therapists who have served as clinical preceptors in any type of clinical setting.

Clinical preceptors can be nominated for this award by students, clinical/fieldwork coordinators in the School of Rehabilitation Therapy, or by colleagues or supervisors at their clinical facility. All clinical community partners and students will receive a call for nominations in the fall of each year. Awards are presented annually.

For more information on the OT & PT Clinical Education Awards or the nomination process, please contact:

Catherine Larmer (catherine.larmer@queensu.ca) Occupational Therapy
Melanie Law (lawm@queensu.ca) Physical Therapy

Recent OT & PT Clinical Education Award Winners

2025 Occupational Therapy Award Winner
Stephanie Reid, MScOT '16

Stephanie completed her Occupational Therapy degree at Queen's University in 2016 (completing her Bachelors of Science in Human Kinetics at STFX University in Nova Scotia in 2014). She has a variety of experience starting her career in home care and acute care before transitioning to full time work with Providence Care Hospital over the last 7 years. Quite recently she had been working with clients receiving rehab/care on the complex medical management and the palliative care unit. Temporarily, she has transitioned into a role with the Providence Care Transitions Home Program (returning to her love for community based therapy). She has a passion for teaching/preceptorship and finds value in working alongside students in their learning. Stephanie is always excited to work with and mentor the OTs that will soon become colleagues in the field.

2025 Physical Therapy Award Winner
Kristina DiFabio MScPT '14

Kristina graduated from Lakehead Univerity's Orillia Campus, with an Honours Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Interdisciplinary Studies, following which she graduated from Western University's Master of Physical Therapy Program. Since graduating in 2014, she has completed continuing education in concussion management, vestibular rehabilitation, clinical pilates, and pelvic health. Kristina further developed her clinical skills in concussion management and sport physiotherapy through completion of the Sports Physiotherapy Fellowship and Fowler Kennedy Sports Medicine Clinic at Western University. She enjoys providing mentorship, guiding students in developing their clinical reasoning and knowledge of evidence based practice. Kristina looks forward to continuing to offer Physiotherapy clinical placements to Queen's University MScPT students, as she endeavors to provide each student the best clinical experience.

Previous OT & PT Clinical Education Award Recipients

2024
Caroline Cardoso, MSc (OT)’16 - Occupational Therapy
Dakshan Krishnapalan, MSc (PT)’16 - Physical Therapy
2023
Teresa Broers, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Nicole Mills, MSc (PT)’13 - Physical Therapy
2022
Teresa Broers, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Megan Sharkey, MSc (PT)’15 - Physical Therapy
2021
Sarah Thompson, MSc (OT)’95 - Occupational Therapy
Christopher Pawliuk, MSc (PT)’08 - Physical Therapy
2020
Lisa Moses, OT - Occupational Therapy
Latif Khoja, MSc (RHBS) - Physical Therapy
2019
Zanna Farmer, MSc (OT)’09 - Occupational Therapy
Timothy Burgess, PT - Physical Therapy
2018
Shannon Mills, MSc (OT)’08 - Occupational Therapy
Ashish Bharti, MSc (PT)’07 - Physical Therapy
2017
Adriana Farcas - Occupational Therapy
Karen Parks, MSc (PT)’07 - Physical Therapy
2016
Kathy Sparrow - Occupational Therapy
Stephanie Brian - Physical Therapy
2015
Dave Carmichael - Occupational Therapy
Hussein Karim - Physical Therapy
2014
Carrie Marshal - Occupational Therapy
Phil Edmunds - Physical Therapy

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence

Each year, the occupational therapy program at Queen's University is able to nominate one preceptor for the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) - Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence. Nominations for this award are sought in the fall of each academic year. To be eligible for the award nominees must be a member of CAOT. The purpose of this award is to acknowledge excellence in clinical teaching, student mentorship and inspirational leadership in professional practice. The nominee is presented to CAOT and is approved by the Board of Directors. Award winners are announced annually at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists' Awards Ceremony, published in Occupational Therapy Now and posted on the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists' website.

Recent CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence Winner

2025 CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence Winner
Cara Sadiq

Cara Sadiq is an Occupational Therapist with the Community Seniors Mental Health program at Providence Care Hospital. She recently completed her PhD in Aging and Health at Queen’s University, where her research focused on supporting caregivers of older adults. Passionate about education and mentorship, she is dedicated to advancing clinical practice through teaching, collaboration, and compassionate care.

Previous CAOT Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellent Recipients

Blue Star Award for Teaching Excellence

The purpose for this award is to honour faculty members of the School of Rehabilitation Therapy who by their teaching ability and concern have earned the admiration of their students. The award is considered to be the highest tribute the Society can pay to an individual for teaching excellence.

Recent Blue Star Award for Teaching Excellence Winner

2026
Nicole Bobbette - Occupational Therapy
Sarah Hazelwood - Physical Therapy